Nearly 6,000 fines handed out in three months for missing helmets, number plates and insurance, as city hall considers helmet lockers for shared scooters.Rome's municipal police have issued almost 6,000 fines to electric scooter riders over the past three months, according to a new report by the Polizia Locale, with one in every two riders stopped found to be breaking the rules of the road.Of the 12,000 riders checked by officers, nearly 6,000 were caught flouting the new highway code rules. The most common offence was riding without a helmet, which accounted for 3,000 violations, while over 1,000 fines were issued for the absence of the compulsory identification plate, mandatory since May.A further 400 fines were handed out for lack of the insurance cover that became mandatory in July, alongside numerous cases involving carrying passengers, riding on pavements and abandoning scooters carelessly. Under the rules, riders caught without the required documents face fines ranging from €100 to €400, rising for repeat offenders. Hotspots across the cityRiders are most commonly caught out in the historic centre, where tourists hire scooters to get around the monuments quickly, but the map of infractions also takes in Ostia, Marconi, Prenestino and Aurelio as well as parts of the eastern VI Municipio suburb, where scooters have become a popular means of transport among young gangs linked to petty crime. Transport minister Matteo Salvini described the figures as "significant", arguing they showed how necessary it had been to curb the previously unchecked spread of electric scooters, which he said put pedestrians, motorists and motorcyclists at risk. E-bikes next?Questions remain over whether the crackdown will be extended to e-bikes, which still enjoy the same status as traditional bicycles despite often travelling well beyond legal speed limits. Local police say e-bikes are not yet subject to specific checks in the absence of new rules, though they do fall within routine road police duties, with most violations relating to tampering with speed and power settings, picked up in checks carried out with the vehicle licensing authority (Motorizzazione Civile). Helmets? New rental rules expectedRome city hall is expected to shortly publish new tenders for scooter and e-bike sharing schemes. The guidelines have already been approved by the city council, though the question of helmets remains unresolved: under the new rules, responsibility for providing a helmet falls to the user, a tricky requirement for tourists who do not have one to hand. Operators are reportedly considering installing dedicated lockers where riders could collect and return helmets, to ensure a safer, compliant service. Photo credit: Stock Photos 2000 / Shutterstock.com

Rome's municipal police have issued almost 6,000 fines to electric scooter riders over the past three months, according to a new report by the Polizia Locale, with one in every two riders stopped found to be breaking the rules of the road.Of the 12,000 riders checked by officers, nearly 6,000 were caught flouting the new highway code rules. The most common offence was , which accounted for 3,000 violations, while over 1,000 fines were issued for the absence of the . A further 400 fines were handed out for lack of the , alongside numerous cases involving carrying passengers, riding on pavements and abandoning scooters carelessly. Under the rules, riders caught without the required documents face fines ranging from €100 to €400, rising for repeat offenders. Riders are most commonly caught out in the historic centre, where tourists hire scooters to get around the monuments quickly, but the map of infractions also takes in Ostia, Marconi, Prenestino and Aurelio as well as parts of the eastern VI Municipio suburb, where scooters have become a popular means of transport among young gangs linked to petty crime. Transport minister Matteo Salvini described the figures as "significant", arguing they showed how necessary it had been to curb the previously unchecked spread of electric scooters, which he said put pedestrians, motorists and motorcyclists at risk. Questions remain over whether the crackdown will be extended to e-bikes, which still enjoy the same status as traditional bicycles despite often travelling well beyond legal speed limits. Local police say e-bikes are not yet subject to specific checks in the absence of new rules, though they do fall within routine road police duties, with most violations relating to tampering with speed and power settings, picked up in checks carried out with the vehicle licensing authority (Motorizzazione Civile). Rome city hall is expected to shortly publish new tenders for scooter and e-bike sharing schemes. The guidelines have already been approved by the city council, though the question of helmets remains unresolved: under the new rules, responsibility for providing a helmet falls to the user, a tricky requirement for tourists who do not have one to hand. Operators are reportedly considering installing dedicated lockers where riders could collect and return helmets, to ensure a safer, compliant service. Photo credit: Stock Photos 2000 / Shutterstock.com